Towel cabinet



I March 3, 1931. 1 H, ADDLER 1,794,819

Y TOWEL CABINET Filed Dec. '7, 1929 u Z6 ZZ BY I* 'l ZM/l HIS A TTORNEY Patented Mar. 3, 1931 1 'Nrrs ,TES

TUBING- CORPORATIN, 02E BREDGECEORT, CONNECTCUT, A CORPORATION 0F DELA- WARE f TOWEL minnaark Application mea December 7, i929. serial No. 412,340.

This invention relates to towel cabinetsof the type adapted to contain a so-called consV tinuous towel, that is, a long lengthl of towel,.usually in roll form, which is adapted 5 to be drawn outwardly through an opening in the cabinet in suitable predetermined lengths for drying purposes. rlhis type of cabinet is usually provided with a roller mounted therein in position to be engaged and rotated by the towel as the latter is with- 'drawn' from the cabinet, the said roller being effective, by the alternate stopping and releasing of the same, to control the feed of the towelfrom the cabinet.

' The object of the present invention is .to

, provide a simple and efcient means for ef-y fectingv the stopping` and releasing of the Vsaid feed' controlling roller.rv This Objectis attained by the new and novel'construction and arrangement of partsas hereinafter described and claimedand as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which"-y ig. l is van? end elevation of a cabinet 2'5 equipped with my invention, with the outer lcasing in section` Y y Fig.l 2 1s an enlarged sectional detail, with the section'taken on line 2 2 of F ig. 5,k

showing the feedroller stopping andreleasing mechanism. 1 p

,'Figs. 3 and 4 are similarY views showing 'different positions of the parts.

vl-l`ig.-5 is a front View of apart of the cabinet with the outer casing broken away adjacent the feed roller stopping and releasing mechanism.

Fig. 6 is a detail showing in top plan the housing for the stop releasing device and the stop member. projecting therefrom; also in brokenv linesthe stopy releasing device itself. Y f y, W

The cabinet, which maybe of any desired construction or design, is here shown'as comprising an outer casing `formed in two sections 2 and 3, the front section Sibeing hinged at l or its vertical edges to the 'rear section 2,-as at 4:, whereby the casing may be opened to y permit of ready access to the interior thereof. Y ,y Located within the casing adjacent its opposite ends are a pair of frame or bracket plates for the support of certain parts of the towel controllingmechanism to be presently described. Only one of these bracket plates, indicated at 5, is here shown, the same being secured in position by suitable fastening means, such as `the bolts 6. The opposite bracket ,plate (not shown) 'is of klike construction and similarly fastened Ain position.

Carried bythese bracket plates is a suitable shelf 7 upon which is supported the roll of clean towelling, indicatedlgat t. When so supported, 'the lead-ing end of the towell is led from the front side of the roll downthence forwardly throughanopening 9..'in

f wardly and partially around a feed roller 8, -A suitably journalled inthe end brackets, from'` the front wall of the'casing to' and over a`1 guide rollerlO, `whichplatterlis .j ournalled'in.

extensions of the bracket plates which project through the opening 9 `in the casing to support the roller at the front side thereof; 4rom this guide roller 10, the towel depends in loop form,as atZ, in convenient position for use; the towel'at the rear sideof the loop 1 passing backwardlythrough the opening 9 to a usual form of take-up or re-winding device comprising a'pair of rollers .il and 12, between whichA the'towel is passed, the roller yl1 being operated to pull the. engage-d towel into the cabinet and rewind it upon the roller l2. The roller 11 yis operated in this way from the feed roller 8 vwhen thev latter is rotated bythe frictional Lengagementtherewith ofthe towel uponA the withdrawal of the' latter from. the cabinet; the connection between the rollers being the usual chain and sprocket connection em-r ployed in these cabinets, such as the sprockets land 16 rigidly attachedto the ends of the Vrollers and engaged bythe connecting sprocket chain 17. l A f As hereinbefore.referred.to, it is an object of the present invention to provide a simple 'and effective means for controlling the feed or delivery of the clean towel whereby' its -withdrawa-l'from the cabinetA will be in predetermined. lengths. This I accomplish by the provison'of 'means fork automatically stopping the rollerv 8 once upon each rota? tion thereof and therebystopping the outward feeding or withdrawal of the towel; I'

it being understood that the friction between the towel and the roller is such as to prevent movement of the towel independently of the roller under ordinary pulling strains such as exerted in the normal use of the cabinet.

The improved means for stopping rota-` tion of the roller 8 as referredV to comprises a pin or bolt 2O slidably mounted in a 'transverse socket or'bore 21 formed in a housing block 22 on the outer end of the sprocket wheel 15 carried by said roller 8; this bolt being freely slidable in the soclet 21 for movement transversely of the roller and being limited in its nioveinentin one direction by the Contact of the itsvinnerend with a stop member 23 within the socket, and in the opposite direction, or outwardly of the socket, by the contact of a stop shoulder 24 thereon with a. stop shoulder in the wall of the soclret 21, as shown in lligs-2, 3 and 4.

llvhen a length of towel isV dra-wn out from thecabinet, thereby causing rotation of the enga-ged roller 8, this bolt 2O Vvwil slide outwardly from the block 22 under the action of gravity as it moves downwardly from a horizontal position, so to project its outer end beyond the block, as shown in Fig. ll. During continued rotation of the roller, th-e eX- treme outer rend of the bolt, indicated at 26, is brought into vcontactv with a. fixed stop 27, as shown by full lines in Fig. 1 and by broken lines in Fig. 3, Vand'sostops rotation of the roller and thereby further 'withdrawal of the towel. Subsequently, to obtainA another length of towel, the bolt'is released from the stop 27 to permit another rotation of the roller. For eifecting such release of the bolt, a releasing device 4is provided in the forni of a push-button 35 slidably supported `ina housing block 36 on the inner wall of the casing, with'its' head at the outer side of the casing for convenientengagement by the user and with its inner end or stem adapted for pressing engagement with the bolt. This releasing device, however, diders from similar devices in the prior artin that it is located above the bolt engagingstop 27 instead of below said stop. Because of such different location of the releasing device, it becomes necessary to provide a diiferent construction of bolt than heretofore in order that it may be engaged and moved back to releasing position by the releasing device. rlhis construction l provide byV forming the bolt with a face Ll() set back from its stop engaging surface 2G sufficiently to permit of its movement upwardly past the stop when the bolt is in its outwardly projected position, as in Figs. 1 and 4, and `at the saine time giving said face sufiioient height above the surface 26 so that it will assume a position opposite the releasing deviceV for engagement thereby when the bolt has been brought to a stop with its surface 26 in Contact with the stop 27.

Ain Fig. 2. Followinff such operation ofthe push'button and upon its release by the user, it is automatically returned to its normal position under the action of a coiled spring 50. rl`he feed roller isl now free to turn and permit of the withdrawal ofanother length of towel, the bolt remaining in its retracted position when being moved past the` stop, as

shown in Fig. 3,? and remaining in such position until, during the continued rotation of the roller it reaches a position below the horizontal, as shown in el, when it will again gravitate outwardly from the bloc-lr to projeotits into position for engagement-with the stopt/ZY, as shown by broken lines in 3 and by full lines in Fig. 1, as hereinbefore` referred to.

The housing block 36 for the releasing device `is here shown as having a .pair of perforated ears 51, 51, by which it issecured on the inner wallof the casing at one end thereof by fastening screws 52. The releasing device is supported in this bloclrin its normal outwardly projected position, as shown in Figs. 1,3 and ,4, by` means of the coiled spring 50 which is mounted on the stemof the device with one end bearing against a. shoulder 53 on the stem anditsopposite end bearing` against a stationary shoulder inthe block itself (seeFig. An enlarged head at theinner end of the stem engages the inner wall of the block to limit the outward thrust of the device under the action of the spring 50.

The boltengaging stop 27 may be formed and positioned in any suitable or desired way, the same, as best shownV in Fig. 2, being formed as an integral part of the block 36 and projecting forwardly at .the lower side thereof into the path of the bolt. y

1. ln a towel cabinet, the combination of a towel feed-controlling roller, a stop, a slidablyY mounted bolt carried by said roller adapted to be projected from its support during rotation of the roller into position lfor engagement with said stop at one side thereof, and a bolt releasing device mounted at the opposite side of said stop, the releasing device and bolt having faces positioned opposite each other when thebolt is in engagement with the stop whereby .the releasing device may engage the bolt to release it from the stop.

2. ln a towel cabinet, the combination of a towel feed-controlling roller,a stop, a slid- `ably mounted bolt carried by said roller adapted to be projected from itsy support a during rotation of the roller into position f for engagement with said stop at the under A side thereof, and a bolt releasing device slidably mounted at the upper side of said stop,

the said bolt, when in engagement with the stop, having a face positioned above the latterv for engagement bythe releasing device to release the bolt from the stop.

3.- In a towel cabinet, the combination of a towel. feed-controlling roller, a stop, a Afreely slidable bolt carried by said roller adapted to be projected by gravity from its support f during rotation of .the roller into position for engagement with said stop at the under side v, thereof, and a bolt releasing device slidably mounted at the upper side of said stop, thel said bolt having a face for engagement by Athe releasing device which is set back from its stop engaging surface for movement past and above the stop and into position opposite the releasing device for engagement thereby when the bolt is brought into contact with the stop.

In testimony whereof I aliix my signature.

' JOSEPH H. ADDLER; 

